If the Dutch and other governments the Minister called out do not move, will Ireland still move ahead? I am hearing two things here: I am hearing "the next few weeks" and I am hearing that the Government wants to move in concert. Frankly, that is not clear enough. The reality is that 70,000 people are dead. Over 900 people have died since the October ceasefire. We saw the scenes yesterday. God only knows what is happ…
TDs / Marie Sherlock
Marie Sherlock
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
1,206
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
117,003
words spoken in the chamber
Across 307 contributions. Plus 32 contributions from the chair, not counted
378
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
186
topics asked about
Across 20 departments
From the Dáil chamber only: committee meetings are not in this archive.
What they ask about
The subject headings the Oireachtas filed their questions under.
Who they ask
The departments their questions were addressed to.
Month by month
Low months are usually recesses, when the Dáil does not sit. The archive runs to 22 October 2026.
Questions asked 1,206 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 307 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 11 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 77 | 13 |
| March 2025 | 92 | 19 |
| April 2025 | 72 | 13 |
| May 2025 | 98 | 28 |
| June 2025 | 79 | 18 |
| July 2025 | 44 | 25 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 71 | 6 |
| October 2025 | 61 | 27 |
| November 2025 | 70 | 13 |
| December 2025 | 33 | 22 |
| January 2026 | 120 | 11 |
| February 2026 | 95 | 14 |
| March 2026 | 36 | 15 |
| April 2026 | 72 | 20 |
| May 2026 | 40 | 10 |
| June 2026 | 41 | 9 |
| July 2026 | 18 | 25 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 56 | 3 |
| October 2026 | 20 | 16 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 186 contributions in the regular slots, such as Leaders' Questions and Priority Questions. Speech from the chair is not counted.
Asked about similar topics
Worked out by computer from the subject headings of each TD's questions, giving more weight to headings few TDs use. It shows shared subjects, not shared views.
Party, constituency and offices
- constituency Dublin Central 29 November 2024 to now
- party Labour Party 29 November 2024 to now
My thanks to Deputy Cairns for bringing forward this Bill, which the Labour Party supports wholeheartedly. Compassionate care for women in real difficulty has been an issue for our party for many decades, long before it was mainstream for people to be talking about this. Indeed, many in the Labour Party were ostracised for many years. It is important to say at the outset that progress has been made over recent years …
Yesterday marked something of a milestone for the health service. For 50 days in the past three months, the number of delayed transfers of care has exceeded 500 patients across acute hospitals. For 50 days, there have been over 500 people waiting and ready to leave acute hospitals but cannot. They need step-down care, specialised beds, home care packages and nursing homes. These people need care that would cost a lot…
I welcome the opportunity to speak today on International Nurses Day. The theme is: “Our Nurses. Our Future. Empowered Nurses Save Lives”. I have just come from the new national children's hospital. I want to pay particular tribute to the nurses who are leading the charge there, as well as Lucy Nugent, the chief executive of CHI, and Julia Lewis, the head of transformation. It is wonderful to see so many nurses now c…
The other two questions I have relate to the strategic review of GPs. We have been promised this for a year and a half. It is late. Are we going to see a reference to GP nurses? They provide vaccines and smears. I refer to the new chronic disease management programme. Are we going to see a reference and proper provision for them in the new GP contract?
The last thing I want to say is with regard to public health nur…
I thank my colleague Deputy Nash for bringing forward this Private Members' motion on the cost-of-living crisis. I listened carefully to the Minister of State's words. He talked about acknowledging the fear and frustration that were evident around the country in recent weeks and how this Government is responding. The Government is responding all right to those who blockaded our streets. While we had genuine sympathy …
I apologise that I could not be here earlier. We were dealing with the ambulance strike due to take place next Tuesday so I missed the earlier contributions. I do not know who wrote the Government's countermotion this morning but the people sitting around the Cabinet table who signed off on it this afternoon and the person who wrote this have their heads in the clouds. Everything in the Government's countermotion sug…
I want to ask about the national vaccination programme. Yesterday, HIQA issued its health technology assessment on the respiratory syncytial virus, RSV, vaccine stating that it is clinically effective for small babies but that the cost is too much to continue the mass roll-out. Last week, we had officials from the HSE and the Department of Health tell us that they very much believe in the clinical effectiveness of th…
The Minister of State has inherited this Bill and somewhere in the order of 900 amendments have had to be dealt with as the legislation has gone through this House and the Seanad. The Minister of State’s own personal commitment to the Bill is very clear, and I very much welcome the improvements before us today. Regarding those issues raised in section 10, relating to how practicable it is to place a child in an age-a…
I acknowledge there has been progress in this space but I want to flag a concern about the wording around any "relevant advocacy service". This is about how information is disseminated and the manner in which it is received. I hear what the Minister of State is saying about looking at ministerial regulation in this space but if at the heart of this legislation is ensuring greater rights for those accessing mental hea…
I commend the Minister of State on all the work she has done and effort she has put into this. I know it has been a very extensive process over a significant period. She set out the timeline for the two most recent mental health Acts we have had in this country.
Obviously, the words in this Bill are only as good as the level of willingness among the members of the medical profession - I know there is huge willingnes…
The Labour Party welcomes this Bill but part of me wonders how it has taken long. This Government has moved at a snail's pace on the regulation of vaping and nicotine inhaling products. When we look at what this Bill is trying to do, the Labour Party agrees with most sections. However, we have concerns with the pace at which the Government has moved and the comprehensiveness of this Bill.
The reality is that the sal…
I move:
That notwithstanding the Order of the Dáil of 1st May, 2025, Deputy Marie Sherlock be designated the member in charge of the Organisation of Working Time (Reproductive Health Related Leave) Bill 2021.
116. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the specific actions she has taken to radically reduce the record high levels of delayed transfers of care out of acute hospital settings, as seen in March and April 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28377/26]
I want to ask about delayed transfers of care. As the Minister knows, there is an enormous number across the acute hospitals at the moment. On 23 consecutive days between March and April-----
Is this question not related to delayed transfers of care?
I believed I had resubmitted a Priority Question but, clearly, there was an issue with regard to it appearing on the Questions Paper.
On 23 consecutive days between March and April, the number of delayed transfers of care exceeded 500 across our acute hospitals, and again over the last six days. This has a major impact, not only on the people who are caught in hospitals who should no longer be there, but also on admissions. We saw that 129 people were waiting over 24 hours on Sunday night for admission to our emergency departments, 16 of them over …
The Minister referred to beds and management. When I talk to a number of the hospitals that are experiencing some of the worst problems with transferring those patients, there is a huge absence of neurorehabilitation beds and dementia-specific beds. In particular, we know that in Cherry Orchard, two wards have been closed for almost the past two years, supposedly for fire remediation works. The Killarney Community Nu…
When I look at the Minister's letter of determination to the HSE this year, or arising from the budget, I see the big emphasis on home care support and very little emphasis on the construction of new step-down beds. We know that the vast majority of those being constructed at the moment are replacement beds. I think there are many reasons there is a need for step-down beds. I know my colleague, Deputy Conor Sheehan, …
An Saol.
It is residential there.
There is HSE money going to nursing homes. They are residential facilities.
129. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the steps her Department is taking to urgently regulate the administration of dermal fillers as committed to in the programme for Government; when such regulation or legislation will be introduced; if she and her Department will engage with stakeholders regarding the best way to protect the public; if her Department received research from the Health Research Bo…
My question relates to the regulation of the administration of dermal fillers in this country. Obviously, millions of euro is spent each year on beauty and cosmetic treatments. The vast majority are topical external treatments, but some are medically invasive. Unfortunately, there is something of a wild west out there in terms of who can administer these treatments.
The incorrect administration, particularly of derm…